Freight container



P 9- i D. w. PERIN 2,172,154 r r FREIGHT CONTAINER" I Original Filed Jan. 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet].

. Sept.5, 1,939. nwrP ERlN I 2,112,154

FREIGHT CONTAINER Origifial Filed Jan. 5, 1929 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 i Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE:

rumour comma Donald W.'Perin, Greenfield, Mass., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Rolofl Inc. of Mass., Cambridge, Mass-,a corporation Substitute for abandoned application Serial No.-

330,502, January 5,

This application April 2-1, 1934, Serial No. 722.148

.' 6 Claims. (CL- 220-15) This invention relates to an improvement in a freight; container and more particularly in the,

and loaded upon flat cars for transfer from one 'point to another. The container is provided with rollers and rides upon tracks' which extend transversely of the body of the car. .The i'ollers have heretofore been rigidly mounted upon the container' and it has been found that if the speed of the flat car is suddenly decelerated, as when the car goes through car retarders or when it strikes another car in the process of making up the trains, there is a tendency for the containers so to bump out of the tracks and away. from the locks which holdthem in place on the car.

The primary object of this invention is toprovide for. each roller a spring or yielding mounting which is interposed between the rollerand thebody of the container so that when the condition above mentioned takes place the body of the 'con- I Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the flat car and the lower portion of the container;

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation partly in section of a roller provided with a mounting which embodies this invention; v

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional 'view of such roller and mount'mg taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

and I Fig. 5 is a side elevation of tlie'roller illustrating one means'for locking the container in position upon the freight car.

In the drawings the-reference numeral l0 designates a fiat car provided. with a platformacross which are mounted tracks l2. Supported upon the tracks |2 of the car I0 is a container I5 which is provided with a plurality of rollers. l6,

65 there being four such rolltli Show rrin the selected embodiment. Therollers l6 enter the tracks l2 and guide the container into the position which it is intended that it will occupy upon the car, Eaeh-roller comprises. a wheel l1 mountedto rotate freely upon an axle 8 which is rigidly sup 5 ported'in arms I! depending from a suitably formed head 20.

The head 20 of the roller is secured to the under side of the body'of the container l5 by a spring mounting which permits a relative move- 10 ment of the body and roller should occasion therefor arise. The head 20 is provided with-a pair of parallel holes 2| through which extend rods 22 of a diameter somewhat less than that of the holes 2| so that the head may reciprocate l5' upon the rods. The ends of the rods are fixed in brackets 23 depending from the frame of the container and are secured in that position by nuts 25. The rods 22 pro'ject beyond each side of the head 20 and the portions of the rods 22 between the head 20 and the brackets 23 are surrounded over the rods 22, the stripsthus assist to guide 30 the rollers.

From the construction thus described it will be noted that the head 20 is supported from the container by strips 28 and is normally held by the springs 24 substantially equidistant from the 5 brackets 22. The roller and container, however,

have by reason of the rods 22 a relative movement transversely of the container. It must follow, therefore, that, when the car on which the container is supported is given a sudden jolt, the 6 springs 24 will permit the shifting of the body of the container relative to the casters, thus eliminating any tendency of the rollers to jump out of the tracks l2 under the influence of such shocks.

The container is here shown to be locked on the tracks l2 in the desired position by means of hooks 21 each pivotally mounted upon a base 28 and adapted to engage one end of an axle 18. When the container I5 is being mounted into position the hooks 21 may lie on the platform H at the side of the tracks,"and after it has reached the proper position, the hooks 21 are raised to engage theaxles l8 and thus lock the container in such position (see Fig. 2). The books 21 may be secured in the locking position in any desired manner. In the present case there is provided a tongue 29 projecting from the base 28 which passes through a slot 30 in the body of the hook 21 when thehook is raised. The tongue 29 is provided with an aperture 3| through which a holding pin 32 may be introduced to secure the hook in position.

While one embodiment only of this invention has been shown and described, I am not limited thereto since other embodiments maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. Mounting means for a roller on a less-thancarload-l'ot shipping container adapted to be .placedon a vehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller and yielding means for positioning the roller on the rods.

2; Mounting means for a roller on a less-thancarload-lot shipping container adapted to be placed on avehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller, brackets depending from the container which receive the ends of the rods and springs constructed and arranged to bear upon the head to hold the roller normally intermediate the ends of the rods.

3. Mounting means for a roller on a less-thancarload-lot shipping container. adapted to be placed ona vehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller, brackets depending from the container which receive the ends of the rods, and springs surrounding the portions of the rods between the head and the brackets for sitioning the roller normally intermediate the ends of the rods.

4. Mounting means for a roller on a less-thancarload-lot shipping container adapted to be placed on a vehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller, strips depending from the frame of the container parallel to said-rods and engaging the head, and yielding means constructecl and arranged to bear upon the. head and position the roller upon the rods.

5. Mounting'means for a roller on a less-thancarload-lot shipping container adapted to be placed on a vehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller, Z-shaped strips depending from the frame of the container parallel to said rods and engaging the sides and bottom of g the head, and springs constructed and arranged to bear upon the head and position the roller normally intermediate the ends of the rods.

6. Mounting means for a roller on a. less-than carload-lot shipping container adapted to be placed on a vehicle with the rollers transverse to the direction of movement of the vehicle, which roller includes a head and a freely rotatable wheel supported thereby, said means including a pair of rods which extend through parallel holes in the head of the roller, brackets depending from the container which receive the ends of the rods, strips depending from the container parallel to said rods and engaging the head and springs surrounding the portions of the rods between the head and the brackets for positioning the roller intermediate the ends of the rods.

DONALD W. PERIN. 

